With Ken Bennett.

Revel, my bearded guide, is so unashamedly laid back his tall, lanky frame spends most of the time in the horizontal.

But he lives in Gozo, a tiny button of an island, a 30-minute ferry journey from its nearest neighbour Malta, so who can blame him?

The scores of tourists who pour off the ferry will tell you breathlessly that there is just about enough time to see everything the island has to offer in one hectic, tear-around day.

And I am sure it is possible, travelling at breakneck speed, to notch up another ‘been there, done that, got the T-shirt.’ But that’s not how the intrepid Revel sees things.

When we met at the colourful ferry port in Mgarr, he was sprawled under a sunshade drinking a leisurely coffee.

“Forget all the dashing around,” he said with a bluntness that belies his Yorkshire honesty. “I don’t do rushing. It makes no sense. Life here is taken at a dawdle…”

Gazing around the harbourside, the lines of sturdy fishing boats bobbing at anchor, bows painted with almost luminous eyes in the tradition of the Phoenicians, seemed to nod in silent agreement.

The same peaceful calm washed over me when I dropped my cases at my tasteful villa operated by OSL, the long-established company which provides luxury accommodation in three areas on the island.

But I was impatient to see just what attractions this tiny tourist dot – just eight miles by four – had to offer. And, more to the point, was there enough to keep my interest for a whole week?

With Revel’s help, I certainly was not disappointed. In fact, after just a couple of days, my urge to see everything all at once had dwindled to a lazy, almost nonchalant acceptance that there really was no point in rushing. Instead, I started to savour the true flavour of this remarkable little hot spot.

The tempo got even slower when we hired a pair of mountain bikes to cruise the lumpy roads. For example, there are wonderful, minuscule beaches to explore: one at Ramia that boasts 500 yards of extraordinary red sand - talk about laying out the red carpet for visitors, or what!

But you are pulled up with a surprising jolt with a visit to the island’s pretty capital, Victoria – known to the locals as Rabat. Because tucked down the narrow alleys under the shade of balconied houses are the familiar shapes of bright red British telephone boxes showing the island’s links to the UK.

Although it has been knocked about over the years, the citadel is still an imposing fortified city built by the Knights of St John after original defences, crafted by the Romans, proved pretty useless against attacks from the marauding Ottomans.

Today, just a handful of shops and a scattering of houses remain, but its still worth a visit if only to capture the flavour of the island’s unique heritage.

The highlight of this stimulating journey was a visit to the Ggantija Temples which are reckoned to be the oldest freestanding buildings in the world, built in 3,600BC, a thousand years before the Pyramids and Stonehenge.

And Revel hinted that down an ancient cart track leading off the cliffs at Ta Cenc, the lost city of Atlantis itself lay somewhere offshore.

Malta is trying hard to promote Gozo separately as an upmarket resort. There are three five-star hotels and a respectable handful of four and three-star properties too.

It also has two thriving opera houses which, with a resident population of just 30,000 – rising to 90,000 in August - is a real achievement, particularly when its big sister Malta is still waiting for rebuilding to start on its opera house bombed in 1942.

It’s easy to see why shrewd travellers use Malta purely as a landing stage and head straight for Gozo by the brand new car ferry or pre-booked helicopter.

Although the island is unashamedly Maltese, the cuisine is deliciously Italian. Try some excellent dishes at It-Ttmun, in Mount Carmel Street, in Xlendi, for fish still smelling of the sea. In Mgarr, dip into Manoel’s, Sammy’s, Luigi’s or St Paul’s, all in the same street beneath the island’s landmark pub, Gleneagles.

Alternatively you can snack on palate-chilling cheese or peas passtizzi for about 25 pence.

Beer costs 45p a bottle and local wine, made from imported Italian grapes, can be bought for £3 in a supermarket. Look out for the Marsovin and Delicata labels.

In fact, the only time I saw Revel move out of first gear was when he haggled with the price of a fare with a cabbie. “Haggling comes with the territory,” he said laconically, before drifting back to his waiting waterside sunshade.

InformationKen Bennett visited Gozo as a guest of OSL which has villas in St Lawrenz, Gharb and Kercem. Prices for a three-bedroomed villa start from £519 per person, based on seven sharing, including flights from Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham or Manchester. Call OSL on 0870-165-2607 for further information. Or visit its website: www.osl-villas.co.ukFree visitor packs are available from the Malta Tourist Office (020-8877-6990) or click on: www.visitmalta.com or www.gozo.com